Car-coupling



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

S. B. & J. R. SADLBR 8: D. M. CARTER.

GAB. COUPLING.

Paten Dot. 7, 1890.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL B. SADLER, JAMES R. SADLER,'AND DAVID M. CARTER, OF FAIR- FIELD, NORTH CAROLINA.

CAR-C-OUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 438,024, dated October 7, 1890.

Application filed July 2, 1890. Serial No. 357,582. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL B. SADLER, JAMES R. SADLER, and DAVID M. CARTER, residing at Fairfield, Hyde county, and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Gar-Coupling, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved automatic car-coupling; and it consists in certain features of construction and novel combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end of a car provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top'plan view of the draw-head, parts being broken away and others shown in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one end of the car and of parts of the improved coupler. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on about line 4 4 of Fig. 2, and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detail views.

The draw-head A may be secured to the car B in any suitable manner, and is formed with the open mouth a, preferably flared in the usual manner, as shown. In this draw-head we secure the coupling bar or section 0, which is preferably secured to the draw-head by a vertical pivot D near the rear end of the coupling-bar, the said bar being narrower than the interior of the draw-head, so such bar may swing laterally at its forward end. Springs E E are arranged to bear between the opposite sides of the coupling-bar and the adjacent walls of the draw-head, so that the coupling-bar will be held normally in its desired straight position.

The coupling-bar is shown as formed with arms F, f, and G, extended forward from the body of the coupling-bar and projecting beyond the front end of the draw-head. The arm F is arranged above the arm f, with an intervening space between said arms, while the arm G is arranged to one side of arms F and f and in a horizontal plane with the space between arms F and f, the free ends of arms F and f being flared on their inner faces, and the free end of the arm G being pointed, as shown, so that the end or point of arm Gof one coupling will be guided between the ends of the arms Ff of the meeting coupling. It will be noticed that the arm G is set sufficiently to one side of arms F f to provide an intervening space in which hangs the trigger presently described. The arms F f have coincident holes H h, and the arm G has a hole I, such holes H h I being to receive the coupling-pins in the coupled position of the parts. A hole J is formed in the top of the drawhead in register with openings H h, through which hole the coupling-pin plays freely.

This coupling-pin K is guided by a guidebracket L, secured to the car and extended forward over the draw-head, the downward movement of the said pin being limited by the shoulder thereon engaging upon the draw-head, and its upward movement being limited by cross-pin M, which bears below the guide-bracket L, and is threaded at its center to the coupling-pin so it can be withdrawn to permit the removal of the pin for any desired purpose. At its upper end the pin K is provided with an arm N, forming a bearing for engagement by the lifting-arm of the rocking shaft 0. This shaft 0 is 'journaled to the end of the car, has at its ends crankhandles 0, by which it may be turned, and is provided at about its middle with the liftingarm P, having at its end a pin 11 to engage under the arm N of the coupling-pin.

In guides Q on the end of the car we support the vertical slide-bar R, which is connected at its lower end to the lifting-arm P and extends at its upper end in convenient reach from the top of the car. Thus the pin can be withdrawn from the top of the car by means of the vertical slide-bar and from the sides of the car by means of the rock-shaft, before described.

To hold the pin elevated in position to couple a meeting draw-head, we provide a latch-plate 8, supported by the draw-head and actuated by a spring T, so it will normally press against thecoupling-pin and will enter a notch U therein when the pin is raised and hold the pin so elevated until the latch-plate is released. To release this plate, we provide it with a projections, which extends down into position for engagement by a trigger V, which is a lever pivoted at o and arranged at its upper end to engage projection s to operate the slide-latch, and having its lower arm arranged to be engaged by a pin or projection W at the end of arm G of the meeting draw-head. In the construction shown the slide-latch S is approximately L-shaped, and is supported in a similarly-shaped recess X in the top of the draw-head, and covered by a plate ac, as shown. At its front end the plate S has a lateral wing which supports the projecting portion 5', and the main portion of the latch has an opening Y, which registers with opening T in the draw-head. The wall of opening Y forms the portion which engages the pin by entering the notch U in said pm. In operation it will be seen that if the coupling-pins of one or both of the meeting drawheads are elevated and the said draw-heads are brought together, the arms G of each couplingwill enter between the arms Ff of the other. The pin on said arms G will strike the triggers and release the pins K, which will fall through the openings in arms F, G, and f, and hold the cars coupled, the coupling being automatically effected. The cars may be uncoupled from either side or the top of the car, as before described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. In the herein-described coupling, the combination of the draw-head, the couplingpin, the latch for holding said pin elevated,

such latch being movable forward to release the pin, and the trigger by which to move the latch forward to release the pin, such trigger being arranged for operation by the coupling devices of the meeting car, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In the herein-described coupling, the combination of the coupling-pin, the drawhead having an opening or hole forthe coupling-pin, the latch having an opening or hole Within which the coupling-pin is held in both its coupled and uncoupled positions, a spring for actuating said latch, and means whereby the latch may be operated in opposition to said actuating-spring, substantially as set forth.

3. In the herein-described coupling, the combination of the draw-head, the latch arranged to hold the coupling-pin elevated and provided with a downward projection, the spring for actuating said latch, and the trigger pivoted to the draw-head and having its upper end arranged to engage the projection of the latch and its lower end arranged to be engaged by the coupling devices of the meeting draw-head, substantially as set forth.

4. In a car-coupling, a coupling-bar formed with arms F, f, and G, substantially as set forth.

5. The im proveddraw-bar for car-couplings, substantiallyasherein described, consistingof the arms F f, arranged one above the other and separated and having coincident openings for the coupling-pin, and the arm G, arranged alongside of the arms F f and in a common plane with the space between said arms F f, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. The combination, substantially as described, of the draw-head, the coupling-bar pivoted at its rear end in said draw-head and provided with arms F, f, and G, and the springs bearing between the opposite sides of the coupling-bar and the draw-head, all substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

'7. In the herein-described coupling, the

combination of the draw-head, the coupling pin having atits upper end an arm for engagement by the lifting-arm, the rock-shaft having a lifting-arm for engagement with the arm of the coupling-pin, and the vertical slidebar connected at its-lower end with the arm of the coupling-pin, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. In a car-coupling, the combination of the draw-head provided with an opening for the coupling-pin and with a recess for the latch-plate, the latch-plate fitted in therecess of the draw-head and having an opening to embrace the coupling-pin and with a downwardly-projecting portion, the spring for actuating said latch-plate, the coupling-bar arranged in the draw-head and having arms F, f, and G, with an intervening space between the bars F, f, and G, and the trigger pivoted to the draw-head and arranged at its upper end to engage the downward projection of the latch-plate and projecting at its lower end between the arm G and the arms F f of the coupling-bar, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination of the draw-head, the

guide-bracket extended thereover and having an opening for the con pling-pin, the coupling pin having a notch U and provided at its lip-- per end with an arm, the stop-pin connected with the coupling-pin below the guide-bracket,

latch in opposition to its spring, and the coupling-bar, all substantially as described, and for 

